Leviticus 15:19 kjv
And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.
Leviticus 15:19 nkjv
'If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:19 niv
"?'When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.
Leviticus 15:19 esv
"When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening.
Leviticus 15:19 nlt
"Whenever a woman has her menstrual period, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days. Anyone who touches her during that time will be unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 12:2-5 | "When a woman conceives and gives birth... unclean seven days..." | Laws on childbirth impurity, similar patterns. |
| Lev 15:20 | "Every bed on which she lies... shall be unclean..." | Transfer of impurity through objects. |
| Lev 15:24 | "If any man lies with her... he shall be unclean seven days..." | Sexual relations with a menstruating woman. |
| Lev 15:25 | "If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days... it is her impurity..." | Laws on irregular blood discharges. |
| Lev 15:28 | "But if she is cleansed of her discharge, then she shall count seven days..." | Process for becoming clean after impurity. |
| Lev 15:31 | "Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness..." | Purpose of purity laws: prevent sanctuary defilement. |
| Lev 20:18 | "If a man lies with a woman having her monthly period... cut off..." | Severe consequences for breaking this law. |
| Num 5:2-3 | "Command the people of Israel to put out of the camp every leper..." | Segregation of the ritually unclean. |
| Deut 23:10 | "If there is among you any man who becomes unclean by a nocturnal emission..." | Other forms of temporary ritual impurity. |
| Ezek 18:6 | "...and has not defiled his neighbor's wife... not approached a menstruant woman" | Part of righteousness defined in moral terms. |
| Ezek 22:10 | "In you men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they violate women in their period." | Listing the sins of Israel. |
| Mk 5:25-34 | "A woman who had a discharge of blood... touched His garment and was healed." | Jesus overturns ritual impurity by imparting cleanness. |
| Mt 9:20-22 | "Just then a woman... came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment." | Similar account, emphasis on faith. |
| Lk 8:43-48 | "A woman having a discharge of blood for twelve years... touched the fringe." | Healing highlights Jesus' power over uncleanness. |
| Acts 10:14-15 | "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything common or unclean... 'What God has made clean, do not call common.'" | Shift from ritual cleanness (foods) to spiritual. |
| Acts 15:19-20 | "Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God..." | Jerusalem Council frees Gentiles from ceremonial law. |
| Rom 14:14 | "I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself..." | New Testament freedom from ceremonial regulations. |
| Col 2:16-17 | "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink... a shadow of what is to come..." | Ceremonial laws as a shadow fulfilled in Christ. |
| Heb 9:9-10 | "which is a symbol for the present age. According to this arrangement... regulations for the body..." | Old covenant rituals superseded by new. |
| 1 Pet 1:15-16 | "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct..." | Call to moral and spiritual holiness. |
| 1 Cor 6:19-20 | "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit... Glorify God in your body." | Believer's body as God's dwelling, requires spiritual purity. |
| 2 Cor 6:16 | "For what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God..." | Emphasizing the holiness of God's dwelling. |
Leviticus 15 verses
Leviticus 15 19 Meaning
Leviticus 15:19 establishes a law of ritual purity concerning a woman's menstruation. It states that when a woman has a regular flow of blood from her body, she enters a state of ritual impurity called niddah for a period of seven days. During this time, anyone who comes into physical contact with her or her garments/objects associated with her impurity would also become ritually unclean, needing to wait until the evening to become clean again after a ritual bath. This law served to maintain the sanctity of the Israelite camp and their worship of a holy God.
Leviticus 15 19 Context
Leviticus 15 falls within a section of the Torah that outlines various laws pertaining to ritual purity and impurity, following chapters on dietary laws and skin diseases. Specifically, chapter 15 addresses different bodily discharges that render a person ritually unclean. These include seminal emissions, unusual bodily discharges in men, menstruation, and abnormal discharges in women. The detailed regulations ensure that the Israelite community, in whose midst a holy God dwelled (represented by the Tabernacle), maintained a state of purity suitable for His presence. Impurity, in this context, was not necessarily a sin, but a state that prohibited one from participating in cultic activities or entering sacred spaces, ensuring that the camp remained a suitable dwelling place for Yahweh. The concept of niddah (menstrual impurity) for women was one aspect of this comprehensive purity system, emphasizing separation from what was considered life-depleting or connected with the cycle of life and death, reinforcing the Israelites' distinctiveness from pagan neighbors who often had laxer views on such matters.
Leviticus 15 19 Word analysis
- And if a woman:
- Indicates a specific case within a broader set of purity laws. It's a conditional clause.
- have an issue, (זָבָה - zavah):
- Literally "flowing" or "a flow." It refers to any natural discharge from the body.
- In the context of women in this chapter, it distinguishes this natural flow from the unusual or diseased discharge (verse 25).
- and her issue in her flesh be blood, (דָם - dam):
- Specifies the nature of the discharge: blood, as opposed to other fluids.
- "In her flesh" highlights the bodily origin and natural process.
- Significance: Blood is often associated with life (Lev 17:11) and, in its loss or defilement, can signify impurity or even death.
- she shall be put apart seven days:
- "put apart" (נִדָּה - niddah): This is a key term, meaning "separation," "impurity," specifically "menstrual impurity." The woman enters a state of ritual impurity requiring temporary separation. It implies being set aside from normal communal and ritual interactions.
- "seven days": This specific duration is common in biblical purity laws (e.g., childbirth, various cleansings) and signifies completion and a full cycle before purification. It points to a definitive period of ritual separation.
- and whosoever toucheth her: (נָגַע - naga - to touch, come in contact with).
- Emphasizes the contagious nature of this specific impurity; it is transferred by contact.
- This includes direct physical contact as well as contact with items she touched or sat/lay on (as specified in subsequent verses like Lev 15:20-23).
- shall be unclean: (טָמֵא - tame - ritually unclean/impure).
- The state of ritual defilement. It meant they were barred from certain religious activities and presence in the holy areas. It does not imply moral failing, but a ritual status.
- until the evening: (עַד הָעֶרֶב - ad ha-erev).
- This common phrase in purity laws marks the termination of a period of impurity.
- Often, the cleansing process would involve washing oneself and then waiting until sunset (the end of the day, marking the start of a new day in the Hebrew calendar) for the impurity to pass entirely.
Leviticus 15 19 Bonus section
The laws concerning niddah were crucial in ancient Israelite society not only for cultic reasons but also potentially for hygienic and relational purposes. While the primary reason was theological, scholars acknowledge possible practical benefits, such as ensuring women had a period of rest and separation during their menstrual cycle, and fostering disciplined interaction within the community. The system also served as a daily reminder of the boundary between the sacred and the common, impressing upon the Israelites the pervasive nature of impurity and the necessity of God's prescribed means of purification, culminating in a deeper appreciation for His ultimate provision of cleansing.
Leviticus 15 19 Commentary
Leviticus 15:19 outlines the law for ritual impurity due to menstruation, placing it within a larger corpus of purity laws intended to demarcate Israel as a holy people in covenant with a holy God. The state of niddah was a temporary ritual impurity, not a judgment of sin or an indication of a woman's inferiority. Instead, it was a profound theological statement: God's absolute holiness required strict separation from anything that symbolized death, the common, or decay, including natural bodily processes like bleeding that were related to life's loss or the potential for it.
The requirement for separation and the contagious nature of the impurity highlighted the Israelites' need for careful attention to their actions and environments to maintain the sanctity of the Tabernacle and, by extension, their entire camp. This intricate system was designed to cultivate reverence for God's holiness and to reinforce Israel's unique identity. The temporary nature of the impurity—lasting only seven days and resolved "until the evening"—underscores that this was a regulatory and educational measure, teaching God's people about the constant presence of sin in the world and the meticulous cleanness required to draw near to a perfect God. This ceremonial law, along with others, ultimately foreshadowed the ultimate purification provided by Christ, who did not become unclean by touching the unclean, but rather, through His perfect sacrifice, made the unclean clean.